The present invention relates to a hands-free pumping garment.
Due to significant advantages of mother's milk over manufactured formula as a food source for infants, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that women breastfeed their infants for at least one year. While many women are able to nurse their infants directly from their breast, there are work related or mobility related reasons a woman may need or choose to pump milk for her child. For example, most women re-enter the workforce soon after childbirth and want to continue breastfeeding. Other women would like to pump their milk to give to the infant when they are uncomfortable or unable to directly nurse their babies. Breast pumps are used to extract the mother's milk when the child is not present.
Typically, breast pumps (manual and electric) use a conical pump funnel that is in direct contact with the breast to pump milk from the breast. The funnels must be held in place over the breast during the pumping process, otherwise they fall off when suction is lost. During this time, it is advantageous for the breastfeeding woman to have garments that facilitate breastfeeding, and breast pumping when a woman cannot nurse her infant.
Several brassieres and other garments have been developed that hold the funnel to the breast so that the mother does not need to hold the funnels while pumping (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,094,217, and 6,227,936).
U.S. Pat. No. 8,307,463 teaches a bra or tank that has three layers on the chest that allow the wearer to comfortably breast feed or pump milk hands-free. Specifically, the tank or bra has three detachable layers over the breast where the outer layer is a solid layer, the inner layer has two openings over the nipple that are equipped to receive the funnels of a breast pumping apparatus and hold them to the breast without the wearer holding them, and an inner layer that has a large opening for the breast so that the wearer may breast feed an infant.